Over 200 LJP leaders join JD(U)

More than 200 mid-level andlower-rung leaders of Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Partyjoined the JD(U) in Bihar on Thursday.

A rattled LJP, which has been taking pride in havingweakened the JD(U) in the assembly election, lashed out at thedeserters whom it sought to dismiss as traitors.

JD(U) national president RCP Singh announced at apress conference the induction of 208 leaders from the LJP.

Some of them held state-level posts in the party,founded by late Ram Vilas Paswan and now headed by his son.

Most notable among the turncoats is former stategeneral secretary Keshav Singh who has been in revolt againstChirag Paswan and predicting the party's collapse for sometime.

Shortly afterwards, a press conference was hurriedlyconvened by the LJP which was addressed by party MP ChandanKumar Singh and former MLA Raju Tiwari.

''These so-called leaders are traitors who had helpedthe JD(U) in the assembly elections and betrayed our party'sagenda of Bihar First, Bihari First,'' they said indignantly.

Relations had begun to sour between the JD(U) and theLJP last year when Chirag Paswan had started criticisingNitish Kumar for his government's handling of COVID-19 and themigrant crisis thrown up by the lockdown.

Ahead of the elections, he pulled out of the NDA,vowing to dislodge Nitish Kumar from power but helping the BJPform the next government. The LJP queered the pitch for theJD(U) by fielding its candidates, many of them rebels from theBJP, against the chief minister's party.

It, however, came a cropper and managed to win onlyone seat. One of the prominent BJP rebels fielded by it,Rameshwar Chaurasia, quit the party on Wednesday.